BOX SCORE
ALLIANCE, Ohio – A career-high 32 points by Ryan Wood proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth contest that saw #11 Capital take an 89-79 decision over host Mount Union in Ohio Athletic Conference men’s basketball action on Wednesday.
With the win and an Ohio Northern loss at Wilmington on Wednesday, Capital (11-1, 4-1 OAC) is one of just three teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference standings with only one loss. Both ONU and WC are 5-1 in OAC play. The Polar Bears of Ohio Northern will visit the Capital Center to take on the Crusaders Saturday at 2 p.m.
Wood (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS) drilled 10-of-18 shots from the field including 6-of-12 from three-point range to lead all scorers with 32 points in only 36 minutes of action. The senior wing was also 6-for-7 from the free throw line on the night to post the first 30-point single-game effort for the nationally-ranked Crusaders this season.
Three other Capital players scored 10 points each with senior Jake Fanning (Danbury, Ohio/Danbury HS) going a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe while adding one rebound and one assists in only eight minutes of play during his first start of the year. Fanning has now made 24 consecutive free throws dating back to the 3:44 mark of the second half in a 92-87 win over Baldwin-Wallace on Dec. 6, 2008.
Classmate Quintin Mitchell (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Libbey HS) and freshman Kelly Winter (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto HS) also scored 10 points apiece as Capital made 29-of-57 (.509) shots from the field overall. Mitchell also pulled down five rebounds while Winter had four and two assists on the night.
Senior Casey Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Ready HS) added a near double-double of nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds to help CU post a 38-29 lead in rebounding and a 11-9 edge in second chance points. Capital also held a 34-24 advantage at points in the paint.
Both sides had good runs in the first 20 minutes of play that featured four tied scores and six lead changes. Mount Union built a lead of as many at seven at one point before Ryan Wood’s third trey of the night cemented a 13-6 Capital run that tied the score at 25-all with 4:23 left before intermission. Both sides traded baskets the rest of the opening period before Wood would hit a layup with three seconds left to put CU ahead 37-35 heading into the locker room.
The seesaw battle would resume in the second half until Adam Johns hit a jumper in the paint at the 16:03 mark to begin an 8-0 Crusader run over the next 2:34. Jamie Yoder (West Holmes, Ohio/West Holmes HS) had four of his eight points on the night during the stretch while Mitchell and Wood added two each to give CU a 51-43 lead with 13:29 left.
From there, Capital would increase its advantage to as many as 13 before a late Mount Union pulled the home team to within five at the 6:53 mark. However, Capital would hit 15-of-17 free throws down the stretch including a perfect 6-for-6 by Fanning to preserve an 89-79 victory.